


Conflict Resolution

by aurora_chiroptera



Category: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Genre: Children, Developing Friendships, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-27 22:21:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16228484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurora_chiroptera/pseuds/aurora_chiroptera
Summary: Spoilers for Exit StrategyMurderbot watches two of Mensah's kids and Pin-Lee comes to find it.





	Conflict Resolution

“She cheated and used heat goggles!”

“Well they were taking too long to find me!”

How had I gotten into this situation? Oh yeah, because I wanted Dr. Mensah to be... pleased with me. So here I was, watching two of her children who were now fighting over hide-and-seek. Time for some conflict resolution.

“I’ve heard enough, this ends now,” I said, and then picked each one up under one of my arms. Both children screeched and then started giggling madly. This was apparently the outcome they had wanted all along.

Because I was someone who could carry full grown adults with relative ease, carrying around children was nothing. Even as they wiggled and laughed, kicking their legs toward a ground they couldn’t reach, they knew they were safe. Mensah also seemed to trust that they would be safe in my care, which would not make sense to anyone in the company OR corporate space. But they hadn’t had their lives saved by me several times, so there was that I guess. Also, they were all assholes and Mensah wasn’t.

“SecUnit!” piped the young girl. She didn’t look like Mensah at all, because she was the child of two of Mensah’s spouses. “Can we go watch your shows?”

“Yeah!” cheered the other child, putting their arms around my waist as best they could from the angle of the hold.

“Don’t listen to them,” Pin-Lee’s voice came from behind us. I knew she had been approaching from one of the few cameras in the area. Non-cooperation space valued personal autonomy a lot more than I was used it, so there were a lot less cameras for me to use. But, those that were there were so easy to hack, I could do it with hardly a thought.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I quite liked the idea. It was a tactic that the kids seemed to like as well and kept that quiet, safe, and still.

“Because they know you’ll let them watch shows they aren’t allowed to,” Pin-Lee said, glaring at the children still dangling, if more limply, from my arms.

“I cut out the parts they shouldn’t see,” I protested. I don’t know why I was offended by the thought that my childcare was subpar, but I found that I was.

“Maybe not quite enough,” Pin-Lee said, a gentle suggestion.

“You’re no fun,” the girl announced, and stuck her tongue out.

I placed her back on her feet, and then did the same with her sibling. “You’re supposed to go back to your mother anyway,” I told them, having spotted one of the spouses approaching. The kids did as well and took off towards the woman.

Pin-Lee came to stand beside me, “Can I give your shoulder a friendly touch?”

I thought about this, then nodded. She pressed her hand briefly, and I leaned into the comfort before leaning back away when I had had enough. “Were you looking for me specifically?”

“Yes, but not with anything urgent,” she send a file over my feed. “You have a potential job.”

I turned the file over, before putting it in my mental pile of other reports. “That’s it?”

Pin-Lee smiled. “No, I also wanted to see if you could come to dinner with me and talk about the new episode of Sanctuary Moon, because I need to know all your theories.”

“I don’t eat.”

“I know, you're a cheap friend in that respect,” she turned and started walking, and I decided to follow her, coming to walk at her side.

“How many times have you watched the newest episode?” I asked.

“Only once, last night. You?”

“Five times,” I said. “They are opening a lot of new story lines up and starting some new character arches.”

“Exactly why I need your input,” Pin-Lee said. “Come on, you’re coming to my rooms and we can watch the episode again together while I eat.”

I pinged my assent. It felt good to be giving my thoughts on something besides fighting and security. I would really like to grow used to it. Maybe that’s why I didn’t open a lot of those files that came in. Maybe it would change when I started to share my story, then people would want to know my thoughts of freedom, on what life was. But right now, I couldn’t think of anything better than watching a show, with a friend.


End file.
